Doubt and the Power of a Testimony

Luke 1:26 – 38 - In the sixth month after Elizabeth had become pregnant, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee. He was sent to a virgin. The girl was engaged to a man named Joseph. He came from the family line of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. The angel greeted her and said, “The Lord has blessed you in a special way. He is with you.” Mary was very upset because of his words. She wondered what kind of greeting this could be. But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary. God is very pleased with you. You will become pregnant and give birth to a son. You must call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High God. The Lord God will make him a king like his father David of long ago. The Son of the Most High God will rule forever over his people. They are from the family line of Jacob. That kingdom will never end.” “How can this happen?” Mary asked the angel. “I am a virgin.” The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come to you. The power of the Most High God will cover you. So the holy one that is born will be called the Son of God. Your relative Elizabeth will have a child even though she is old. People thought she could not have children. But she has been pregnant for six months now. That’s because what God says will always come true.” “I serve the Lord,” Mary answered. “May it happen to me just as you said it would.” Then the angel left her. (NIrV)

John’s birth was a forerunner to the birth of Christ not just in time but also in the method. God chose the same method to bring the news to Mary as he used to announce John’s birth including using the same messenger, the angel Gabriel. In today’s passage, we see the importance of this sequence.

When Mary heard the message from Gabriel, her response was that of doubt. 'How can this happen?' Gabriel’s response had two parts to it. We can simplify them into layman’s terms. Firstly - 'God will do it.' But, secondly, 'If you don’t believe me, he has already done it for your cousin Elizabeth, despite the naysayers.' It was after Mary heard the testimony of Elizabeth that she believed that what she had heard was possible.

Luke 1: 35-38 - The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come to you. The power of the Most High God will cover you. So the holy one that is born will be called the Son of God. Your relative Elizabeth will have a child even though she is old. People thought she could not have children. But she has been pregnant for six months now. That’s because what God says will always come true.” “I serve the Lord,” Mary answered. “May it happen to me just as you said it would.” Then the angel left her. (NIrV)

This is not unique to Mary, God has been using the power of testimonies to strengthen our faith and deliver us from our doubts and fears for years. Hebrews 11 and the heroes of faith are supposed to act as testimonies to push us forward in our pursuit of Jesus and our callings.

Hebrews 11:39 - All these people earned a good reputation because of their faith,…(NLT)

Hebrews 12:1 - Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. (NLT)

We are also told in the Book of Revelation that Satan was overcome by both the blood of the Lamb and the word of testimony.

Revelation 12:11 - And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony…(NKJV)

God moves but our faith is stirred up and our doubts distilled by the testimonies of others. So the next time your faith begins to falter or your fears become louder than the voice of God look for a testimony to help you press forward.